The familiar black-and-white striped badger is a well-known sight in the UK and our largest land predator. It has a varied diet, feeding on small mammals, birds’ eggs, worms, fruit, and plant matter. Badgers live in social family groups in underground tunnel systems known as setts. An active sett is often easy to recognise, with well-kept entrances, piles of discarded bedding made from dry grass and leaves, and a strongly scented pit nearby used as a latrine. Their powerful front claws are ideal for digging both for food and for maintaining their home. Cubs are born in midwinter, usually January or February, and remain underground for their first few months, emerging in spring as temperatures rise.